Only 10 years ago, animation was still more like drawing flip books. Master animators would sketch what's called a key frame -- for example, a boy with his arm cocked to throw a football. Then the next frame drawn would be of the boy with his arm forward with the ball leaving his hand. Instead of a book of frames that could be "flipped through" to create the illusion of fluidity, software developed to a point at which it can render the sequences and movement in between each frame.
Computers calculate the mathematical algorithms necessary to connect the dots. For a more complex scene, an animator might add another key frame, and the software again would be programmed to give the illusion of movement between frames. Now animators don't need to sketch frames; it's all done with the click of a mouse.
Pixar's 1995 film "Toy Story" was a milestone in the computer animation field because it was the first all-digital feature film. It also underscored the challenges in creating realistic human characters -- the toys were believable because viewers had no real reference point, but the adults and child in the film were poor substitutes.
The film struck box-office gold, spurring competitors to join in the race to perfect computer-generated animation technology.
Film director Steven Spielberg, one-time Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg and music impresario David Geffen founded DreamWorks SKG in 1994. Since then, the animation unit has made four films using computer-generated animation. Its next computer-animated film will be "Madagascar", slated for release in early 2005.
Even Walt Disney, the company that helped pioneer hand-drawn animation in the 1930s, jumped on the bandwagon, winning a deal to distribute Pixar's films. The relationship has come under stress recently, with Pixar breaking off talks to extend the partnership. Disney's president and chief operating officer, Robert Iger, last month told CNBC that it's "unlikely" Disney will strike a new Pixar deal.
The final film Disney will distribute with Pixar under the deal is "Cars," set for release in 2005.
